Mrs A complained about the appropriateness of the treatment she received for her presenting symptoms by the Clinical Musculoskeletal Assessment and Treatment Service (“CMATS”)/physiotherapy. She referred to the fact that an MRI scan had not been undertaken and she questioned whether sufficient investigations were undertaken when she attended Prince Charles Hospital (“the First Hospital”) and Royal Glamorgan Hospital (“the Second Hospital”) between 17 May and 12 July 2021.
Broadly, the Ombudsman considered that Mrs A had been treated appropriately by the Physiotherapist for her presenting symptoms. While the Ombudsman identified areas where communication could have been more effective than it was, the Physiotherapist’s decision that Mrs A did not require further investigation or an urgent MRI was not wrong. When Mrs A attended an emergency orthopaedic clinic on 17 May, she had no symptoms that would have been of urgent clinical concern. In reviewing Mrs A’s Emergency Department attendances, the Ombudsman’s investigation found that there were no clinical concerns that would have prompted the need for an urgent MRI scan. In terms of Mrs A’s hospital attendances between 17 May and 12 July, based on her clinical symptoms and presentation, the evidence pointed to sufficient investigations being undertaken. Mrs A’s complaints were not upheld.